Agencies team for arrests in Stockton

STOCKTON - Dozens of local, state and federal law enforcement officers swept the streets of Stockton and other parts of San Joaquin County on Saturday as part of a special mission to saturate areas known for violent crime, authorities said.

STOCKTON - Dozens of local, state and federal law enforcement officers swept the streets of Stockton and other parts of San Joaquin County on Saturday as part of a special mission to saturate areas known for violent crime, authorities said.

The operation was carried out by about 50 members of the Stockton, Lodi and Manteca police departments; the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Homeland Security; the Community Corrections Partnership Task Force; and the District Attorney's Office.

The mission was funded by a Justice Assistance Grant.

"This is a continuation of our violence suppression missions in conjunction with Operation Ceasefire," said Officer Joe Silva, a spokesman for the Stockton Police Department. "We're targeting those individuals, groups or gangs that have been identified through Operation Ceasefire as continuing to commit gun violence in our city."

The special task force had made at least a dozen arrests and confiscated at least two guns by 9 p.m. Saturday, Silva said. Most of those arrested were taken into custody for outstanding warrants and weapons possession, Silva said.

One of the teams assigned to the mission was patrolling Gateway Court near West March Lane and North El Dorado Street about 7 p.m. when it detained five people for drinking in public, Silva said. Officers conducted searches after determining some of the detainees were on probation.

Their search led them to two handguns in a nearby apartment, one of which was reported stolen in Las Vegas, Silva said. All five people were arrested for warrants and suspicion of firearms possession, Silva said.

"These types of missions are letting the criminal element know that if you don't stop violence in the city of Stockton, the Stockton Police Department and our collaborative law enforcement partners are going to seek you out and arrest you," Silva said. "We'll continue to keep doing these types of missions."